Pitcher Sarah Dawson bounced back after early-season scare at Pittsburgh

Jim Fenton The Enterprise @JFenton_ent

Saturday

May 11, 2019 at 7:26 PM

The former Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High standout was hit in the head by a line drive in the first game of her senior softball season but was able to pitch nine games late in the year.

The opening game of her final softball season at the University of Pittsburgh was in the top of the third inning.

Sarah Dawson of Bridgewater was facing Purdue in Charleston, S.C., on Feb. 8, looking to build on a strong finish that she had as a junior in 2018.

The Panthers were in possession of an early 1-0 lead, and Dawson had recorded two outs in that third inning.

One swing of the bat then changed the course of Dawson’s senior season at Pittsburgh, a season that was full of promise for her.

The former Enterprise All-Scholastic had just recorded her third strikeout when a line drive off the bat of a Purdue hitter struck Dawson in the head.

The result was a concussion that sent Dawson right to a nearby hospital and leaving her off the softball field for nearly 10 weeks.

After going 15-11 with a 2.62 earned run average and earning a spot on the Atlantic Coast Conference all-tournament team the previous year, Dawson was now dealing with the only major injury of her long softball career.

“I got hit in the head and I didn’t really remember anything after that,’’ said Dawson. “I was leaning on my teammate. I was brought to the hospital and I just kind of had to sit by myself for a while.

“It was heartbreaking. I thought I wasn’t going to pitch again. I thought my season was done because of how long it was taking to recover. It was really, really, really difficult.’’

Dawson, who pitched Bridgewater-Raynham Regional High to the 2014 state championship, had to sit out until April 16 when the Panthers had only 11 games remaining in the season.

By that time, Pittsburgh was out of contention for a spot in the ACC tournament and wound up finishing 13-41, 7-17 in the conference.

But for Dawson, it was a chance to close out her career by pitching some games rather than missing just about the entire final season. She appeared in nine games after returning, making six starts, and had a pair of complete games.

In one of Dawson’s final starts earlier this month, she scattered seven hits and struck out four while blanking Boston College, 11-0.

“It would have been devastating to me not to finish up my career,’’ said Dawson. “At the point I came back, it wasn’t so much we needed to win every game. It was about I just needed to have fun because this is it. This was the last four weeks I get to play the game I love.

“It was kind of tough to come back because I missed so much. I really didn’t get to get in a groove. For somebody who was out 9 1-2 weeks, I think I did a pretty good job.’’

Dawson had developed into Pittsburgh’s ace during the 2018 season, and the Panthers went 33-18-1 and 16-6 in the ACC to win the Coastal Division title. She had 15 of the wins and eight complete games.

As a freshman, Dawson went 8-0 and threw the program’s first perfect game (a 13-0 win in five innings against Providence College). She was used as a relief pitcher as a sophomore and was 2-3 with three saves, then blossomed into the top pitcher on the staff in 2018.

“I had no expectations of pitching my freshman year whatsoever,’’ Dawson said. “I thought that I was just going to ride the bench and learn. When (former) coach Holly (Aprile) put me in that year, I was like, OK, welcome to the show. It was a little overwhelming, but I learned a lot just by being thrown in and having to figure out what kind of pitcher I wanted to go.

“Even though it didn’t go my way freshman year (with a high ERA), I’m glad that I had that experience to build on for the next three years.

“As a sophomore, I knew what kind of pitcher I wanted to be. I knew I wasn’t going to spin the ball, but I had the ball to hit a great spot and challenge hitters. Even though I didn’t get as many innings as I wanted to, I figured out who I wanted to be in the ACC. It was definitely an important year for me.’’

By her junior year, Dawson was ready to pitch a good portion of Pittsburgh’s games and she delivered.

“Last year was my favorite year of playing softball in my entire career,’’ said Dawson. “It was so much fun. I was the ace last year. I helped my team win a lot of games and accomplish a lot of things. I couldn’t have been more excited and happier with the outcome. I had a blast with that team last year.’’

The Panthers were looking forward to the 2019 season to try and build on that success, but Dawson’s early injury presented an obstacle.

“Extremely disappointed,’’ said first-year coach Jodi Hermanek. “We put her out there in the opening game of the season and for her it was horrible. You just know how much a season means to a senior pitcher and how the last few years built her to be in that moment.

“You hate it for her teammates. It was hard on a lot of us. We had to ask people to step up in different roles. It was hard on the program, too.

“I’m just so proud of her. People see a kid coming back from injury and getting a chance to finish with some innings and wins and accomplishments. But I think what a lot of people should take a step further and give her a pat on the back for is she wasn’t ready to go out there and throw ace level games. She really was in preseason mode while everyone she was competing mode was in postseason mode.

“She was out there fighting with limited preparation but having monumental success. That says a lot to the experiences she gained in the past and how her confidence in herself really kept her out there at the end of the season against seasoned batters.’’

Dawson, who majored in media and professional communications, graduated on April 28 and will be returning to Massachusetts to work at Dell EMC in Franklin.

Her softball playing days are over after winning a state title at B-R and having success pitching in the ACC.

“I’ve been blessed with the accomplishments I had with all the different teams I’ve been on,’’ said Dawson, who was 2-2 this spring. “It has been the best part of my life playing with the different girls that this game has brought to me. It has made me the person I am today and I could never repay this game. I’ve had a pretty damn good time playing this game for the past 13-14 years.’’

The final chapter did not go the way Dawson wanted, but she learned a lot by sitting and watching while waiting to play again.

“I got a brand new perspective on the game by sitting the bench and not being able to physically go in,’’ said Dawson. “I got to learn more about the game. I got to be the best supporter for my teammates. I got to watch them accomplish awesome things.

“Once I got back in, it was all about having fun and making memories on the field. Even though our record didn’t reflect how good we are, I’m still very happy about ending it in Pittsburgh and with my teammates.

“It’s been a wild ride. I think I made the best decision of my life coming to Pitt. I have loved every second of playing softball and furthering my education here. I couldn’t have picked a better place to end my softball career.’’

Jim Fenton may be reached at jfenton@enterprisenews.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JFenton_ent.

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